The Supernatural Birth of Jesus



I’m always glad when Christmas comes around, because I finally have the opportunity to sing one of my favorite hymns, and it’s only sung around Christmas. That hymn is “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” It is not only my favorite Christmas Carol, but it is one of my very favorite hymns, and I’m not alone.

In 1872 the Church of England selected the four greatest hymns in the English language, and “Hark the Herald Angels” was one of those hymns. I wait all year to sing this hymn, and then I find myself singing it and humming it to myself all through the season.

It is a tribute to our Savior, our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is one of the greatest treasures that the church has musically, and it is a treasure to the mind and soul of everyone who has memorized the incredible words to this hymn.

It was originally written in 1739 by Charles Wesley who wrote it as a Christmas day hymn. Fifteen years later, along came George Whitefield, the great preacher, great evangelist, and he felt that the words needed a little bit of editing, so he Calvinized it.

And fifteen years after the original work of Wesley, Whitefield brought its lyrics into the familiar form that we sing today. It needed a tune, and the years went by, and Wesley had always said it needs a kind of a somber, slow tune. But it never really caught on with that kind of tune.

And then about a hundred years after Whitefield in the mid 1800s there was a famous German Jew who was baptized a Christian, baptized into the Christian faith. This German Jew wrote a cantata in the honor of Johannes Gutenberg who invented the printing

Press, and in that Cantata there was an amazing tune, and that is the tune that since about 1850 has been associated with “Hard the Herald Angels Sing,” and that German Jew who converted to Christ was Felix Mendelssohn.

So when you get a song that has Wesley, Whitefield, and Mendelssohn, it’s going to be good; and it is good. It is the best. I know you know it, but I can’t go any further really without reminding you of the words: “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King.

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’ Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with the angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’ Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’ “Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; late in time, behold

Him come, offspring of the virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity, pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’ “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die; born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!'”

And there are at least three other verses that are not in the hymnal. Great hymn. Just an incomparable hymn, and every verse ends with, “Glory to the newborn King!” Wesley and Whitefield instruct us concerning the person of Jesus Christ in this hymn.

He is the newborn King, but He is also identified as the Prince of Peace, the Son of Righteousness, the Everlasting Lord, the Incarnate Deity, and most of all Emmanuel, God with us. It’s an almost breath-taking Christology in this magnificent tribute. And, by the way, this is Christianity.

Christianity is that God, the Eternal Son, left heaven, came to earth as a baby born to a woman miraculously without a human father; born to save the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. That is Christianity, and that birth is how the New Testament begins.

So let’s go to the beginning in the book of Matthew and the very first chapter. Over the next four weeks we’re going to look at Matthew’s account of the birth of the King. Jesus asked the Jewish leaders about Messiah one day, recorded in Matthew 22. “He said, ‘Whose son is Messiah to be?’

And they replied immediately, ‘Son of David. Son of David.'” Royalty. They saw Him as a man born in the line of David. That is exactly what the Old Testament declared back in 2 Samuel, chapter 7. We are told that the greater son of David, the Messiah who will establish God’s kingdom

Will come through the royal line of David. Whoever is the Messiah, whoever is God’s anointed king must be a descendent of David. That is why Matthew begins the way he does, verse 1: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David.”

And then you have a detailed genealogy coming all the way down to “Joseph” – in verse 16 – “the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.” The Messiah, verse 1, must be a son of David. Messiah is, in David’s line, the royal right, passing through Joseph.

Let me hasten to say this: Jesus was not related to Joseph by blood, but in Luke, chapter 1, there is a genealogy of Mary, and Mary also came from David’s line. Mary gave Jesus the royal blood, Joseph gave Him the royal right, because the royal right always came from the father.

But it’s more than just the son of David that Messiah must be. He must be the son of David. He must have the blood of the line of David coursing through His veins, and He did through Mary.

He must have the right to the throne, which He received through the fact that Joseph was His legal father in the earthly sense. But He had to be more than just the son of David, He had also to be the Son of God.

And that is the message that Matthew gives us, starting in verse 18. Not only was He in the line of David, but He is divine. Not just man, not just royal, but He is divine, He is the Son of God.

Verse 18: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall His name Immanuel,’

Which translated means, ‘God with us.’ And Joseph awake from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Mary’s Son is God with us.

Mary’s Son is Immanuel. We are thus introduced to the incarnate God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here, this account of His birth is a very critical identifying mark that sets Him apart from any and every human being who has ever been born.

He is the only one born of a virgin, conceived by God in the womb, the God-man: fully divine, fully human. But Matthew focuses particularly on His kingship, on the royal right that He has to the throne as God’s Anointed. That’s why he gives the royal genealogy at the very beginning.

And then he gives this remarkable birth that adds to His human royal line: divinity. Matthew presents to us all through his gospel Jesus as King. Let me just give you a little bit of a look at that. First of all, Matthew shows us the King revealed.

The person of Jesus Christ is always painted in royal colors. His ancestry, as we saw, is traced through a royal line. His birth is dreaded by a rival king. Wise men offer Him royal gifts. His herald, John the Baptist, declared that He is a king and that His kingdom is at hand.

His temptation reaches its climax when He is justly offered the kingdoms of this entire world. His great Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of the King, setting forth the standards of His kingdom. His miracles are His royal credentials. His parables are called the mysteries of the kingdom.

He is hailed as son of David, but also as Son of God. He claims freedom from paying tribute to earthly kings, because He Himself is the Son of the Great King, and is Himself a King. He makes a royal entry into Jerusalem where He declares Himself to be the King.

And while facing the cross He predicts that He will rise again and He will establish His future reign. He proclaims sovereign power to command angels. Even His last words are a kingly claim and a royal command: “All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and earth. Go therefore.”

So Matthew presents Him as royalty, as God’s Anointed King, the revealed King. But Matthew also presents Him as the rejected King. The rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ is emphasized by Matthew all the way through. Before He was born His mother was in danger of being rejected by Joseph.

At His birth, Jesus faced the possibility of death. Jerusalem was troubled by His birth. Herod sought His life. In Matthew’s account, on the plains of Bethlehem, no angel choir sings. But in Matthew’s account, mothers weep as their baby sons are slaughtered in an attempt to kill the true King.

Even as a child He is hurried away into obscurity in Egypt for awhile, and then He’s hurried back up to Nazareth, and obscure town where He stays in obscurity until He’s 30 years of age. His forerunner and cousin John the Baptist is arrested, imprisoned, and beheaded.

During the time of His ministry He has no home of His own, nowhere to lay His head. He is a wanderer. His parables demonstrate the character of His kingdom age, and they are rejected by His people. In His death, He is forsaken by His people, He is forsaken by God.

In Matthew, there’s no penitent thief praying. There’s no word of human sympathy recorded by Matthew as He faces death. But Matthew does describe the reviling, the mocking, and the bribing of the soldiers to lie about His resurrection. No other gospel so chronicles the bitterness of the rejection of the King.

But, finally, Matthew’s focus is not only on the revealing of the King and the rejection of the King, but on the return of the King. No other gospel says as much about the second coming of Christ as does Matthew. It is a gospel of triumph.

The King is to be revealed, He is to be rejected, but He is to return and establish His promised kingdom and reign there forever and ever. Matthew begins at the very beginning with His birth. Just a note about the genealogy. In the genealogy you have many men listed.

But tucked into the genealogy are the names of four women in the first seventeen versus of Matthew 1. Interesting women. There is Tamar, guilty of prostitution and incest. There is Rahab, a prostitute and idolatress. There is Ruth from Moab whose whole line was cursed because it descended from incest.

And there is Bathsheba who was an adulterous woman, and whose husband was murdered out of that adultery. Those are the four women in the genealogy, which is a declaration by God that the King is a gracious King, and the King has come to identify with sinners.

The greatest credential for the King is not His genealogy, as wonderful as it is, it tells us in the royal line, it tells us He will be a gracious King. He will identify with sinners. But the greatest credential is His birth, and that’s what I read you in verses 18 to 25.

This identifies Him as having come from heaven. Now the facts are clear, you saw them there. Joseph and Mary were engaged, betrothed, not yet officially married, not yet having consummated that union. Joseph knew Mary was pregnant, and he knew that was not his child.

We are then told the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. And then Joseph is commanded to marry her and name the child, who is God with us, with the name Jesus. Those are the simple facts of this very understated massive divine work of the virgin conception

And birth of the Son of God. Now let’s look a little more deeply. First of all the virgin birth conceived – and we’ll look at verse 18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to

Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” This is just such a simple explanation of a staggering, incomprehensible, divine miracle. The Bible does that a lot, simply states things that are beyond our comprehension. We don’t know anything about Mary really.

John 19:25 mentions her sister, who was also one who followed Jesus. That’s really all we know. We look at Luke 1 and we get her genealogy, so we know the name of the family behind her. We know she was related to Elizabeth, who was the wife of Zacharias the priest, and

They were the parents of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. We know she lived in Nazareth, which was a town in the north of Israel up in the Galilee area, a nondescript town of which it was said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” A blue collar down, insignificant religiously, insignificant historically.

That’s all we know about her in terms of biography, in terms of earthly background. We know nothing about her family, what they did. But we do know about her character, which is what is most important, because in Luke,

Chapter 1, in verse 38, Mary says in response to being told by Gabriel the archangel that she’s going to be the mother of the Most Holy Child, the Son of God. She says, “Behold, the slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”

This is a 13-year-old girl or so who sees herself as a slave of the Lord, a willing, loving slave of the Lord who wants only to do whatever the Lord asks her to do. She is a worshiper.

Over in verse 46, in response to this, she says, “My soul exalts the Lord, my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has had regard for the humble state of His slave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.” And she goes on to quote Old Testament passages in that beautiful Magnificat. She is theologically astute. She knows God, she knows the attributes of God, she knows the Old Testament.

All that she says is drawn right out of the Old Testament. She is a righteous young girl, a slave of the Lord who believes what the Lord says and wants only to do what He asks her to do. She’s a godly young girl.

Now she is, it says in verse 18, betrothed to Joseph. You have to understand Jewish marriage contracts were a little different than we have today. People get engaged and disengaged, then engaged, then disengaged, and we’ve all become pretty used to that happening.

In the Jewish plan of marriage, when you were engaged or betrothed, that was a binding legal covenant. You literally bound yourself for life to the one that you had desired to marry. You can find that back in Deuteronomy 20 in verse 7.

Betrothal was a legal contract demanding, defining two people as committed to one another for life. Betrothal was a trial period. There was no consummation during betrothal. That came after the actual marriage ceremony. There were usually several months during the betrothal period. What was that for?

Well, in some ways, the husband needed to make preparations for the wedding. That would be an extensive responsibility that he would have. But even more than that, it was a trial time to see if the person that you had committed to would be faithful to that covenant.

It was a time to prove your holiness, your virtue, and your righteousness. It was clearly before they came together that they had been betrothed. So they were set by covenant, by legal contract for a marriage. But this was the trial period to find out if the person would be faithful.

And, back to verse 18, before they came together, before they were actually married, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. The worst possible scenario was that a betrothed woman would become pregnant. That’s why you had the trial period to prove her integrity, her virtue. She was pregnant.

She was about three months pregnant, if you calculate what the New Testament says, at this time when Joseph gets the information. And by the way, she knew she was pregnant. How did she know? Luke 1:26, because the angel Gabriel came to her when they were back in Nazareth and

Said, “Behold, don’t be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God” – verse 30, 31 – “Behold, you will conceive in your womb, bear a son; you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the throne of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” He’s the King. “Mary said, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’

The angle answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Nothing will be impossible with God. So she knew, she knew.

But apparently she knew before Joseph knew. Maybe she was just trying to figure out how to explain that since that had never happened. Now Joseph found out that she was pregnant. I can’t imagine the shock and devastation, because this is a virtuous girl that he knows

And loves and is committed to for life, and he finds out that she is pregnant. And according to Deuteronomy 22, verses 23 and 24, if a betrothed woman became pregnant, she was to be stoned to death. So a cloud of suspicion and shame and scandal is hanging over her head, because she doesn’t

Know how to explain this. There’s really no precedent for this, there’s no way to explain it. In all human history there’s never been a virgin birth. And now Joseph is in shock because he’s found out that she is pregnant, and he can’t understand it.

And so in verse 19, “Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” Righteousness is a wonderful word, It embodies holiness, virtue, morality; but it also embodies compassion. Part of being righteous is being compassionate. This is a righteous man.

You might say, “Well, if he was a righteous man, he’d make a public display out of her. A righteous man would uphold righteousness, and a righteous man would make this public and say, ‘She has been unfaithful; I want to declare her unfaithfulness.

We’re going to bring her before the appropriate witnesses and we’re going to deal with thing publicly, because she needs to be a warning sign concerning this kind of sin.'” But there is inherently within true righteousness compassion and deep affection and love. He loves her, he cares for her.

He doesn’t understand what has happened, he has no explanation for it, but his heart is compassionate toward her. And so we saw the virgin birth conceived in verse 18, and now the virgin birth is confronted in verses 19 and 20. It’s confronted by Joseph. They’re betrothed.

He’s a righteous man, that is he desires to do what is pleasing to God. You could even say that he has been declared righteous by faith in God in the same way that Old Testament saints had. Certainly Mary was one of them.

He is a true Old Testament saint justified before God by faith. The justification of that man and even the transformation of that man’s heart is evidenced in his obedience to God, his desire to obey God, to marry a godly, virtuous woman. And to also demonstrate compassion.

Mary was precious to him, the girl of his hopes. But he had to do what was right. But he doesn’t want to disgrace her – back to verse 19 – wanting not to disgrace her. There’s no bitterness. There’s no anger. There’s no hostility.

There’s no desire to make a display out of her, just confusion and compassion. Two courses are really open to him at this point. The harshest would be to make a public example of her. And even though capital punishment as a punishment for sin had disappeared in the history of

Israel, there was still the threat of a public divorce, a bill of divorce, a public lawsuit against her; and she would be brought into some kind of court, and there would be witnesses coming into the court to testify against her that she was pregnant and that Joseph was not the father.

In ancient times she would have been stoned to death. But in more recent times, during the time of their life, divorce had taken the place of stoning. He could have had a public divorce and sort of exonerated himself, but he doesn’t want to do that.

“So he decided to” – it says at the end of verse 19 – “send her away secretly.” Send away is the word apoluō . It’s the New Testament word for divorce. But not publicly, not with witnesses testifying against her to justify his action, but a very quiet, very private divorce.

He wasn’t going to go through with the marriage to a woman who was unfaithful. He is devastated, he is crushed. It is all unthinkable to him, unimaginable. But he loves her, he cares for her, and so he decides that he is going to just do this very secretly.

However, verse 20 says, “When he had considered this,” – he was in the middle of considering it, meditating on it; apparently he falls asleep, mulling over in his mind what he’s going to do with this love of his life – “behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.”

I don’t understand the reality of that; I don’t know how to define that. It says a dream, and yet it says an angel of the Lord actually appeared to him in a dream. This is a supernatural experience, that’s all we can say, that’s all we need to know.

“An angle of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, ‘Joseph, son of David,’ – again reiterating that he is in the royal line – ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'”

What an unbelievably shocking dream. You know, he probably felt like most men feel, “I’m really not good enough for her.” And then he might have thought for a moment, “Maybe she’s not good enough for me.” And now he hears from an angel that God Himself has planted a life in her womb, something

That has never happened to any woman. And now he goes back to saying, “If I thought I wasn’t worthy of her before, I’m sure not worthy of her now if out of all the world God has chosen her to be the mother of His incarnate Son.”

We think about people being engaged having a difficult time waiting until they’re married to display their affection. I think Joseph must have felt like he needed to stay away from her, because he was some kind of transcendent person beyond anything he could ever imagine himself to be worthy of.

He is told that the child in her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. He would know the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit coming on people for all kinds of reasons in the Old Testament, bringing God’s power and God’s presence into a life.

This is stunning, shocking. It’s the same message that Mary heard back in Luke 1: “The child will be produced by the Holy Spirit. This will be a Holy Child. This will be the Son of God.” So Joseph is now trying to figure out just exactly, “How do I fit into that?”

Little wonder then that when the angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Fear was the first reaction of Joseph. “Stop being afraid. You can take her as your wife. She is not so transcendent, she is not so holy, she is not elevated that she cannot be your wife.

What has been conceived in her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Verse 21: “She will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” She will bear a Son. It doesn’t say, “She will bear you a son.” Never says that.

In Luke 1:13, the Lord said to Zacharias, “Elizabeth will bear you a son, because you are a participating father.” That is never said to Joseph. It’s just, “She will bear a Son.” This is Mary’s Son and this is God’s Son. This is not Joseph’s Son.

By the way, throughout the 2nd chapter of Matthew, Mary is identified as His mother and Joseph is never stated as His father, never. “Arise, take the young Child and His mother and flee into Egypt. Take your Child. Arise, take the young Child and His mother, go into the Land of Israel.”

This is not Joseph’s Son; this is God’s Son, this is Mary’s Son. In fact, in the 2nd chapter of Matthew, God says, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.” Jesus was God’s Son and Mary’s Son, never Joseph’s Son.

The mystery of all of this is profound and confounding, and when it says down in verse 25 that he kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son, I can fully understand that, that he wouldn’t want to do anything to touch her.

It was not legal to do that anyway, just because they hadn’t had the marriage ceremony. But I think it would have been hard to imagine himself even putting a hand on such a set apart and anointed life chosen by God for such singular calling. But Joseph, you do have a role to play.

Father gives the name, so verse 21, “You shall call His name Jesus Yeshua” – Old Testament Joshua – “for He will have His people from their sins.” Yeshua means Jehovah saves, Jehovah saves. That’s His name, Jesus, Jehovah saves, for He will save His people from their sins.”

There are a lot of names that are given to Jesus in the Old Testament, you’re familiar with them: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity – Isaiah 9, Servant of Jehovah, Yahweh – lots of names of Jesus. But here is a new name. His name is to be Yeshua, Jehovah saves. That’s remarkable.

Back in the 43rd chapter of Isaiah, God claims some singular characteristics. He says, verse 11, “I, even I, am the Lord,” and yet in the New Testament Jesus is declared Lord. God says in the same verse, “There is no Savior besides Me,” and yet Jesus is to be named

Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. God is a Savior; Jesus is a Savior. In that same chapter, verse 13, God says, “Even from eternity I am He.” John 1:1 says that Jesus was in eternity with the Father. Verse 14 says, “The Lord is your Redeemer.”

In the New Testament, Jesus is the Redeemer. The Lord is the Holy One; in the New Testament, Jesus is the Holy Child. Things that God declares for Himself alone are also declared of Christ, which is to say that He is therefore God.

Chapter 42 of Isaiah, verse 8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” That’s true. But He gives His glory to Christ, because glory to Christ is not giving glory to another. Christ is one with God. So He is the Savior.

He’s the only Savior; He’s the Savior of the world. There is no other Savior, it is God and God alone who saves His people, and He does it through the work of His Son Jesus. “There’s no salvation in any other” – Acts 4:12. Who is able to save? Who is mighty to save?

Only the virgin-born God-man, Son of David, Son of Mary. And then in verses 22 and 23 you have the virgin birth connected, connected. We saw it conceived and confronted, clarified in regard to the name as the message came to Joseph.

But here it’s connected, and it’s connected to an Old Testament prophecy: “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.'”

That is a direct quote from Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 7:14. Here Matthew shows us that the virgin birth was promised, was promised. And if you go back to Isaiah 7:14 that’s exactly what you read with the addition of just an

Opening statement: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and will call His name Immanuel. The Lord will give you a sign.” The word here “virgin” in verse 23 is parthenos in Greek, and it always means virgin and only means virgin.

It’s used about 12 or 13 times in the New Testament. It always and only means virgin. The text of Isaiah 700 years before uses the word almah , and some people say, “Well, almah can mean a young girl. A young girl doesn’t have to mean a virgin.”

Although it is used nine times in the Old Testament, eight of them, it has to mean a virgin. One time it may be just a reference to a young girl. But clearly the intent of almah in Isaiah 7:14 is to be used at virgin, because that’s

What the Holy Spirit inspires Matthew to write. The New Testament writer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is interpreting the word almah in the Old Testament as parthenos in the New, which is virgin. And that’s the only thing that makes sense.

Critics like to say, “Well, no, Isaiah 7:14 should simply be stated, ‘A young woman will be with child and bear a son.'” There’s something missing in that. And what is it? The opening statement: “The Lord Himself will show you a sign.”

If I say to you, “A young woman is going to become pregnant and have a son,” what sign in that? That’s not a sign of anything, that happens every day. That’s not a sign of anything. But a virgin becoming pregnant and bearing a son, that’s a sign. That’s the sign of Isaiah 7:14.

“Look for a miracle. Look for a virgin becoming pregnant and bearing a son.” Even from the scientific standpoint, critics love to tamper with this, and some have suggested that Mary had a sort of spontaneous generation, a kind of parthenogenesis on her own and produced

Jesus on her own without God intervening, that there is a scientific natural explanation to this. And if you read any science, any of that – I’m reading a big long book on the history of genes; and in studying that, it’s fascinating to say that you can go back into history in

The nineteenth century, and even back before that, and people were trying to reproduce life. There were all kinds of very fine insects, and there were sea urchins, and they were trying to see if they could generate without the normal male-female coming together.

And there had been some indications in history where this could happen, and then there was Pincus and his rabbits, and there’s some machinations done with animals like that. But the problem is this: even in those cases where you have that, you have a problem.

Mary, if she spontaneously generated Jesus, could only have a daughter, because there’s no Y chromosome. Y chromosome comes from the man. That’s what’s so important about, “She will bear a son, she will bear a son.” And this son will be the one prophesized in Isaiah 7:14, “And the sign will be that she

Will be a virgin bearing a son, and you shall call His name Immanuel, which translates into God with us. She will have the Son of God.” You know, the rabbis kind of hovered around this notion that Messiah would have a unique birth. They said Messiah may not have an earthly father.

Some rabbis said Messiah will be born without defect. One rabbi said Messiah’s birth will not be like the birth of other men. One other rabbi, one other rabbi said that Messiah’s birth will be like the dew of the Lord as drops on the grass without the action of man.

The book of Enoch 150 years before Christ says, “Of the Messiah, He appears by the side of the Ancient of Days.” In other words, they even seem to acknowledge Messiah’s pre-incarnate existence. But they really didn’t understand it and they rejected, they rejected Him. “He came to His own, His own received Him not.”

But the prophecy was fulfilled. The coming of the King, the virgin-born Son of God, son of David, fulfills the sign prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Galatians 4:4, Paul puts it this way: “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son,

Born of a woman,” – born of a woman, but the Son of God. A final word, the virgin birth completed in the last two verses: “Joseph awoke from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, took Mary as his wife.” They had the wedding ceremony.

Kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” He got the message, believed it, and named her Son, Yeshua, Jehovah saves, because He came to save His people from their sins.

He kept her a virgin, by the way, until she gave birth to a Son, which means that He didn’t keep her a virgin after that, and that’s clear in the New Testament, because Jesus had brothers and sisters born to Joseph and Mary, and they’re named and referred to.

She was not a perpetual virgin, and she was not immaculately conceived without sin. Those are fantasies of the Roman Catholic system. She had many other children, but not until after Jesus was born did Joseph come near her. So that’s the story. That’s the story from Matthew.

Paul looks at that same story in these words: “He, the Lord Jesus Christ, existed in the form of God. Did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man.

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him, bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, those in heaven and earth, under the

Earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The supernatural birth of Jesus is the only way you can account for His life. An unbeliever once said to a Christian, “If I told you that a child had been born without

A father, would you believe it?” The Christian answered, “Yes, if he lived as Jesus lived.” The King is revealed. His birth proves who He is. In Christ, God came to dwell with us – with the sick, to heal them; with the demonized,

To liberate them; with the poor in spirit, to bless them; with the meek, to lift them up to His kingdom; with the fearful and guilty, to free them from care and dread; with the lepers, to cleanse them; with the diseased, to cure them; with the hungry, to feed them;

But most of all, with the lost, to seek and save them. Through His poverty we are made rich. The King is born. Next week, we’re going to see who and why the wise men were. Father, thank You again this morning for an incredibly wonderful, rich time in fellowship and beautiful music and worship.

Fill our hearts with joy and thanksgiving through this season as we contemplate the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ who came to save His people from their sins. We are His people by grace, through faith, and we rejoice. May that joy be unbounded and demonstrate itself in our faithfulness to You, we pray

In His name. Amen.

#Supernatural #Birth #Jesus

Why did Satan quote Psalm 91 to Jesus?



If you read your whole Old Testament, you never see a demon being cast out of anyone. Ever. How in the world when Jesus shows up and he starts doing that? Did people automatically in their heads think: “Well, this is what the Messiah is supposed to do! This is a sign of Messiahship.”

Where does that come from? Psalm 91. Which, you know, in recent days, you’ve heard this quoted a lot: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty… he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge… You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,    nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness.” In the corona environment, this passage gets quoted a lot.  

And unfortunately, in some cases deeply out of context to suggest that well, you know, Christians can do whatever they want here because God will protect us and we won’t get sick and. Okay, that is not what the passage is about. The passage is much cooler than that. It’s more sinister too.  

Psalm 91 is a psalm that was discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in a jar with four other Psalms that are not in the Hebrew Bible. There are extra Psalms among the dead sea scrolls, we have 150 in the Hebrew Bible,   

But this one that is in the Hebrew Bible, obviously, was put in this jar with four other ones. All four of those other ones are exorcism Psalm. So well, why would they lump Psalm 91 in there? That doesn’t look like an exorcism to me,

I’m, you read the whole thing and there’s no like casting devils out or anything like that. Well, if you read it in Hebrew, and you were a literate Israelite, you would know that words like pestilence (Deber). Okay,  there’s pestilence there. Deber down here, Qeteb (destruction), “the arrow that flies by day.” Okay, right here.

This whole motif of the arrow flying by day and the tear of the night. Right here; Pahad. These are names and titles and epithets of Canaanite deities, all of them.   To an Israelite, a Canaanite deity was a demonic, a sinister and evil spirit,  you know, a power of darkness. That’s why Psalm 91 was lumped into that

Because this is a prayer of protection and thwarting of powers of darkness   in ancient Jewish thought. What else is interesting is this psalm in the Hebrew Bible,   you notice there’s no superscription. There’s a psalm of whoever. In the Septuagint, it’s a psalm of David. Okay, also in the Septuagint, there are certain different wordings,

The Septuagint would have been based on a Hebrew text. Is a translation of Hebrew, that don’t always align with a traditional Hebrew text. But in the Septuagint, where it’s a psalm of David, there are a couple of psalms that use specific words for the Psalms, and the hymns and the,  

I want to use the word spell, because that’s what it means, or can mean, of David and Solomon. Okay, that in the poetry, the literature, they produced,   some of that stuff uses vocabulary that you will find in exorcistic material   in the Second Temple period. And so this answers an important question.   

And here’s the question. And maybe you’ve wondered this. If you read your whole Old Testament, you never see a demon being cast out of anyone. Ever. There’s actually only two references in English Bibles to demons;   Shedim is usually translated demon, which isn’t the greatest translation,  

But we’ll run with it for the sake of the illustration, Deuteronomy 32. And then there’s a Psalm.   Okay, but you never see a demon or a hostile evil spirit cast out of anyone.   How in the world, when Jesus shows up, and he starts doing that, did people

Automatically in their heads think: “well, this is what the Messiah is supposed to do! This is a sign of Messiahship.” Where does that come from? It comes from what I just described. It comes from certain Psalms   being associated with David, and a few with Solomon. In the Second Temple Period  

There was the belief that David and Solomon had power over evil spirits. And so if the Messiah is a descendant, he is The David, The Son of David, he should be able to do that too.   So this is something that we wouldn’t get because we’re not living in the culture.  

And we’re not familiar with how Psalm 91 in particular was viewed.   But when Jesus shows up and starts doing this, the bells and whistles are going off in people’s heads. This is an important thing he does to convince them that he’s the Messiah. And Isn’t it odd that Satan would choose Psalm 91  

To quote to Jesus, in a temptation, and he quotes the part, down here, “he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” So what’s really going on here is Satan is fishing for information.

He’s got Jesus in front of him, he knows who he is, he knows why he’s there.  His silly Kingdom of God stuff, okay. But he doesn’t know what the plan is. So he’s there to tempt Jesus. Try to shortcut the thing. And you know, the last one is the worst because it’s idolatry.

It’s just kind of a terrible attempt. But this one’s interesting because let’s say that Jesus looks at Satan and says, “Yeah, that’s a good quotation. Yep. Yep,  you know, that’s a, that’s an exorcistic psalm. And I’m the son of David,    and I’m supposed to be able to cast out demons.

And if that’s true, then the rest of the stuff in the song must be true too. So go ahead, it’ll take me up to the top here, I’m going to throw myself off.”   What happens? Okay, let’s say the angels catch him. What is Satan learned? He can’t kill him,  

So we’ll take killing the Messiah off the strategy plan.   But Jesus knows, that’s exactly what needs to happen. “So I’m not going to demonstrate   anything for you. You’re not going to learn anything in this conversation.”   He just tells him that you hit the road, “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

And that could be a reference to himself. But it could also be another way of saying;   “You shall not try to convince me to let God show you the hand that he’s going to play.”   He has to die. He must die. Again, it’s an interesting tit for tat conversation

between these two. And again, my take on it is that Satan actually was fishing for information. It’s not a worthless conversation. And the fact that he quotes Psalm 91 I find really interesting because of its nature. You know, the servant (Israel) out in the wilderness. I mean, let’s think of Jesus

Now as the representative of the corporate nation.   Did Israel in the Old Testament pass the test of being God’s servant? Well, yes, and no.   You know, they get to the promised land? Sure, after they fail, and then they wander   around for 40 years. So there’s that checkered past. They don’t really complete the conquest.  

They ask for a king to replace God as the one who fights for them.   And then three kings later they go off and start worshipping other gods and end up in exile. So probably no, they really don’t pass the test of being God’s representative son and his servant, but Jesus does.  

He passes the test. And now it’s Game on. His ministry begins.

#Satan #quote #Psalm #Jesus

Why You Need Jesus As Your Substitutionary Atonement — @MyNameIsJackieHill



How are you saints i heard about 1200 of you i said how are you  saints okay because i’ve seen about 50 of y’all   getting starbucks all day so i know you’re woke  uh i i i say this every tgc conference that i  

Have the opportunity to teach it i i need to let  you know i’m from a country called black church   okay you might have heard me say that before  what that means is when someone is speaking or   teaching it’s not a monologue it’s a conversation  okay so when when i say something that moves  

You in your spirit you have the right and  the authority and the permission to talk   back to me you can clap you can speak in the  tongue just find a translator but don’t throw don’t throw no shoes though okay you can do  everything else but don’t throw your shoes  

Up here unless i like them throw the other  one and i’m gonna take it take it back home   please turn in your bibles to genesis chapter 22. say amen when you got it sorry to get verse one it says after these things  god tested abraham and said to him abraham and he  

Said here i am he said take your son your only  son isaac whom you love and go to the land of   moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering  on one of the mountains of which i shall tell you  

So abraham rose early in the morning  saddled his donkey and took two of his   young men with him and his son isaac and he  cut the wood for the burnt offering and rose   and went to the place of which god had told  him on the third day abraham lifted up his eyes  

And saw the place from afar then abraham said  to his young men stay here with the donkey i   and the boy will go over there and worship and  come again to you and abraham took the wood of  

The burnt offering and laid it on isaac his son  and he took in his hand the fire and the knife so   they went both of them together and isaac said to  his father abraham my father and he said here i am  

My son he said behold the fire and the wood  but where is the lamb for a burnt offering   abraham said god will provide for himself the lamb  for a burnt offering my son so they went both of  

Them together when they came to the place of which  god had told him abraham built the altar there   and laid the wood in order and bound isaac his son  and laid him on the altar on top of the wood then  

Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to  slaughter his son but the angel of the lord called   to him from heaven and said abraham abraham and  he said here i am he said do not lay your hand on  

The boy or do anything to him for now i know that  you fear god seeing you have not withheld your son   your only son from me and abraham lifted up his  eyes and looked and behold behind him was a ram  

Caught in a thicket by his thorns horns and  abraham went and took the ram and offered it   up as a burnt offering instead of his son so  abraham called the name of that place the lord  

Will provide as it is said to this day on the  mount of the lord it shall be provided let’s   pray lord i thank you for this moment thank  you for your word i thank you for your spirit  

I thank you for your church i thank you for our  feelings and our emotions and how they are so   involved in the way we read your scriptures i pray  that you would do whatever it is that you want to  

Do with us in this moment i pray that you would  help me that you would use me that you would speak   in jesus name amen this narrative opens up  with the words after these things god tested  

Abraham i think before we even get to the nature  of the test we need to know something about the   one being tested we are introduced to abram his  original name in genesis 12. when out of nowhere  

God calls abram an idol worshiper to leave his  home leave his family leave his country and then   god gives abram a promise he tells them that he  will make him a great nation and that all the   families of the earth shall be blessed through  him we also learn some about his wife’s arrive  

And how she is barren they have no children which  makes god’s promise a smidge complicated because   if abram is going to be a nation then abram needs  a child in genesis 15 god speaks to abram again  

This time he expands on his original promise he  made he tells abram he’s going to give him a son   but not only that god gets all built now the  science guy on him and tells him to head outside  

Look at the stars and that the amount of stars  he sees is the amount of offspring abram will   have this is a big promise because remember abram  ain’t got no kids sarah’s womb is bearing barren  

So abraham is like god how i know that’s going  to happen this is the jhp version by the way so god backs up his promise by entering into  a covenant with abel a covenant is a promise   made between two parties to perform certain duties  one party might promise to share their resources  

Their strength and protection while the other  party promises their loyalty if abram were one   of us hypothetically speaking and he wanted  to buy a house in 2022. he would have to get   a realtor get on zillow redfin whatever’s  your your thing find a house hopefully his  

Credit score is in order that’s a word for some of  y’all know some of y’all in the 500s god is able   he’s able to do exceedingly and abundantly  above all we can never ask i think his lender  

Would then have to give him a decent loan to  purchase the house when it’s time to close on   the house he would sit down with a lawyer with  a realtor they would give him a big old stack of  

Papers for him to sign these papers and contracts  between him and the bank he’s getting the loan   from the contracts have a bunch of words but the  bank is basically saying hey we promise to give  

You this money you promise to give us the money  back if you don’t you’re going to be homeless so   when you purchase a home then you are entering  into a loose kind of covenant both parties  

Are making a promise to do a certain thing and  if one party fails to keep that promise there’s a   consequence in abram’s cultural context covenants  weren’t ratified by signing a bunch of contracts   they were a little bit more dramatic than that  what would happen is that uh they would get  

Some particular animals who would be killed sliced  in half laid side by side creating a path for both   parties to walk through the bodies by making a  covenant this way the parties were reenacting what  

Would happen to them if they didn’t do what they  said they would do is them saying if i don’t keep   my promise to you let me be put to death like  these dead animals that i just walked through   to establish his covenant with abram  then god has abram get a heifer  

A goat a ram two birds basically the whole  meat section of the grocery store and abram   cuts the animals in half except the birds because  that’s odd and lays them side by side usually both   parties that are ratifying the covenant would walk  through the animals but this time shockingly abram  

Isn’t awake for the ceremony abram goes into a  deep sleep similar to the one that adam went into   in genesis 3 and the bible says that a great and  dreadful darkness came over him but what i don’t  

Want you to do is take this as a abram laying  down and taking a nap taking going to bed it’s   probable as some commentators say that he is made  unconscious by god’s presence and as that happens   god manifests himself as a smoking  fire pot and a flaming torch and god  

Himself walks in between the dead animals  god himself all alone walks in between   their bodies walks in between their blood and  by doing so god is saying that he is putting   his very own nature on the line so as to make  sure that this covenant is maintained remember  

Abram asked god to give him evidence that god  was going to do what he said he would do and god   responded by saying if i don’t give you what  i promised you the blood will be on my hands  

Now that didn’t convince abram that god was worthy  to be trusted i don’t know what else god could do   moving forward you might be thinking okay now god  then showed up as a pot in the torch and walked  

Through some heifer blood sari is definitely  going to get pregnant next week but nope abram   and sarah just get old and older and older making  god’s promise seem that much more impossible   in genesis 17 when abram is 99 and sarai is 90  god shows up again adding even more specificity to  

His promise he tells abram that sarah will have a  son from her own womb whose name will be isaac in   genesis 18 god shows up again and tells abram now  named abraham that this time next year god will  

Give him a son sarai now called sarah was being a  little nosy don’t know if you remember the story   she heard what the lord had said and the text  says that by this time the way of women had  

Ceased with sarah what does that mean it means  sis ain’t got no time in the month no more okay her uterine lining ain’t shedding  nothing but dust she ain’t used always she ain’t had kotex in her cabinet in decades and now god is saying it’s a  women’s conference i can say that

Now god is saying she’s going to give birth  to a son which is absolutely crazy so sarah   laughs she like god must don’t know how old i am  how in the world am i going to have a whole baby  

This is one of my favorite parts of the bible  the lord says to abraham because sarah had   laughed when god said what he has said uh  god says why does sarah laugh is anything   too hard for the lord to which sarah responds  like she ain’t talking to god i didn’t laugh

Then god was like no but you did  let’s be clear but in all seriousness i think we all need to remember the reality of  god and that there is nothing too hard for him   all of us have something in our life  where this truth needs to be applied  

It may be the salvation of a family  member the restoration of a marriage   deliverance from addiction the opening of a  barren womb the resources to adopt the power   to forgive the ability to put to death your  favorite sins whatever it is god can do it  

Because this is the thing god is not like anyone  you have or will ever know he has no limitations   he is the one that made the heavens and the earth  he is the one who has all power he is completely  

Sovereign always strong and never tired but  unbelief will move you to construct a god in   your own image and therefore you will start  to believe that either god has a weakness and   cannot do the impossible or that god isn’t good  and therefore he won’t do the impossible for you  

Which isn’t to say though everything  we ask of god he is obligated to do   god is god so he has the right to move however  and whenever and wherever he pleases but the   challenge is this to believe that god is god  which means god can answer my impossible prayers  

And god can give me an impossible  faith to still trust him if he doesn’t   is anything too hard for the lord in genesis 22  or 21 the impossible happens it says the lord   visited sarah as he had said and the lord did  to sarah as he had promised and sarah conceived  

And bore abraham a son in his old age at the  time of which god had spoken god is not a liar   so by quickly walking through genesis chapter  12 to genesis 21 we are clear on three things  

God has promised to make a nation out of  abraham that all families of the earth will   be blessed through him and that god will do this  through abraham seed isaac with that in mind now   when we get to genesis 22 the first two verses  should be shocking it says after these things god  

Tested abraham and said to him take your son  your only son isaac whom you love and offer him   there as a burnt offering if you’re like me the  first time i read this passage i was like now god  

You promised this man that all nations of  the earth will be blessed through his seed   isaac you don’t make covenants you don’t walk  through blood and became pots and stuff and now   you’re telling him to sacrifice the son he done  waited decades for not only that god’s promise  

To abraham hinges on isaac being alive it’s  crazy but what helps us to give us some pause is   the beginning of this verse and how it begins by  saying that this is a test the concept of testing  

Is all throughout scripture usually it’s explicit  like in exodus when god said he allowed israel to   be in the wilderness for 40 years to test them or  in luke 4 when it says that the holy spirit led  

Jesus in the wilderness to be tested god tests for  two reasons usually to reveal and to refine when a   test is used to reveal something what is exposed  is whatever is in your heart testing reveals  

What you really believe if you really have faith  if there are a few idols hiding in a corner   somewhere a little pride that you didn’t know you  had which is such a merciful thing for god to do   because i don’t know if you know this we  tend to think really highly of ourselves  

The natural state of the sinner as described in  romans 1 is that we think we are wise when we are   full so we may have a self-conception that has  nothing to do with reality but also we can get  

Therapy we can take enneagram tests enneagram  three wing four and b as be as self-aware as   possible and even then it is impossible for you  to discern everything about yourself so in god’s   sovereign compassion he will allow your kids  to act up so you can see how impatient you are  

He’ll let your money get funny so you can discern  your greed or your distrust in god’s provision   tests reveal but tests also refine peter  said in first peter 1 6 though now for   a little while if necessary you have been  grieved by various trials so that the tested  

Genuineness of your faith more precious than gold  that perishes though it is tested by fire imagine   who you’d be if you didn’t go through anything if  your faith was never challenged if life never got   hard intense if you never had any angst or  confusion or anxiety about what to do or where  

To go and and who to trust without the refiners  fire what would the quality of your life look like   i can bet that it might be easier but  would it be fruitful why because tests   purify your faith it is only fire that refines  gold and it is only trials that will refine  

You and yes i know trust me no discipline seems  enjoyable at the time but it will yield the   peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who  are trained by it circling back to genesis 22   since this narrative is fr as a test we can know  that whatever god is doing with abraham it will  

Reveal something to him and reveal something out  of him and what greater test is there for abraham   than for god to tell him to sacrifice his son the  son he loves note that this is the first mention  

Of the word love in the bible which is really  fascinating to me that it’s set in the context of   sacrifice and not self-centeredness but that’s a  completely different conversation anyone one thing   about this test is that if you’re  familiar with abraham’s story at all  

If you followed his life up until this point you  know that this test actually isn’t unfamiliar   do you remember when god commanded abraham in  the beginning in genesis 14 what he commanded   him to do he told him to leave his country leave  his family leave his home and go where god wanted  

Him to go abraham then is well acquainted with  god telling him to sacrifice stuff that he loves   since abraham was called he was repeatedly tested  so even though sacrificing isaac is an extreme   test god didn’t start there he has been readying  abraham’s faith so as the test got more intense he  

Had the stamina to endure it charles spurgeon said  this he said the lord knows how to educate you up   to such a point that you can endure in your  years to come what you could not endure today  

Just as today he may make you stand firm under a  burden which ten years ago would have crushed you   into dust perhaps this is the reason you don’t he  read anything about abraham pushing back or asking  

Questions he just he just gets up and obeys verse  three abraham rose early in the morning saddled   his donkey and took two of his men with him and  his son isaac and they cut the wood for the burnt  

Offering and arose and went to the place of which  god had told him in other words abraham obeyed   immediately why because he had faith the writer  of hebrews says that faith is the assurance of  

Things hoped for the conviction of things not seen  another way to see it is that faith is an inner   certainty regarding things you cannot see that  engages your will leading you to act in relation   to what you believe i’ll say it again because  y’all taking notes faith is an inner certainty  

Regarding things you cannot see that engages your  will leading you to act in relation to what you   believe for example you ever seen one of those  team-building exercises called the trust fall   it’s weird basically one person stands on  a platform with their eyes clock closed and  

Their arms folded looks like they’re  about to die beneath them behind them   are co-workers or their team standing in the line  with their arms out ready to catch not the bouquet   but the person the reason it’s a trust fall is  that the person on the platform can’t see nobody  

Can’t see the people behind them so they have  to trust what they cannot see but it wouldn’t   be enough for them to just say they trusted their  team like yeah i trust you and stay there that’s   not good enough words are easy trust is actually  realized when the person chooses to fall backwards  

The inner certainty gave them confidence that  their team would catch them even though they   couldn’t see them and that certainty engaged  their will which was why they chose to fall i   use this example because faith cannot be separated  from behavior faith is at work in abraham because  

Remember god has made him a promise and isaac  is a pivotal piece of that promise is isaac dies   the promise does too the irrationality of it all  doesn’t seem to hinder abraham though i think any  

Rational person would be like um god this test  ain’t it there has to be another way tell people   to steal my donkeys and burn down my tents but  don’t make me sacrifice my son but the thing  

Is abraham isn’t like me he doesn’t barter with  god he is certain that god is going to do what   he said he would do because he is god so because  he believes and trusts god he behaves accordingly  

It says that he woke up early in the morning  cut the wood that he would sacrifice his son on   and he goes to the place that god told him to  go to then we finally get an idea of what’s in  

Abraham’s mind in verses five and six look at  it it says on the third day abraham lifted up   his eyes and saw the place from afar then abraham  said to his young men stay here with the donkey  

I and the boy will go over there and worship  and come again to you do you hear his faith   somewhere in between god telling him to sacrifice  isaac and him getting the wood he has concluded   that after he has killed his son isaac is  going to come back how does he know that  

Who or what is he trusting to make  him so certain it’s simple he believes   god not merely the promise of god but the person  of god because the promise is only trustworthy   because the one who made the promise cannot lie  so so it’s the very nature of god that abraham has  

Considered and in so doing he has reckoned that  because god cannot lie he is obviously going to do   something to ensure that isaac ultimately doesn’t  die the writer of hebrews said this by faith   abraham when he was tested offered up isaac  and he who had received the promises was in  

The act of offering up his only son of whom it was  said through isaac shall your offspring be named   he considered that god was able even to raise  him from the dead wait we are in genesis 22 right  

Amen no yes okay so we are centuries before  elijah raises a widow’s son from the dead   we are we are centuries more for when jesus  raised lazarus easter ain’t on abraham’s radar   he don’t got a clue about pastel outfits and shiny  white shoes there has yet there has yet to be an  

Empty tomb for him to base his faith on so how  is it then that abraham knew the very concept of   resurrection was even possible i think that before  abraham rose early in the morning while he thought  

About what god was calling him to do and that it  meant that he have to put his son to death i think   i think abraham remembered his own body and  how god had brought life from death before  

So surely he could do it again unless you think  i’m just making up stuff i want you to remind   your romans 4 19 which says this he abraham did  not weaken in faith when he considered his own  

Body which was as good as dead or when he  considered the barrenness of life or lifelessness   of sarah’s womb the word dead here literally  means corpse-like so then god had to resurrect   their bodies in a real sense so as to give  them the power to create life in the form of  

Isaac abraham had the audacity to say that  he and isaac would go worship and return   because he remembered that god had did it before  in 1953 this guy by the name of henry malaysian   went in for brain surgery to treat his  epilepsy during the procedure the doctor  

Removed a piece of henry’s brain affected  his memory especially his short-term memory   and one recording a doctor doing a study this  on netflix by the way i ain’t making it up a doctor doing a study on the brain in  memory asked henry if he remembered what  

He did yesterday henry said i don’t know the  doctor asked him again what he did that morning   henry said i don’t remember that either then they  asked him if he knew what he’d do tomorrow to   which henry responded whatever is beneficial you’d  expect henry to have some kind of loose schedule  

I’m gonna wake up i’m gonna get some coffee  i’ma watch the news but he didn’t because   henry couldn’t tell you what he would do tomorrow  because he couldn’t remember what he did yesterday   he answered the question the way that he did  because the portion of henry’s brain that was  

Removed affected henry’s ability to make new  memories and since henry couldn’t remember the   past he had no context for how to imagine  his future without his memories henry had   no expectation when abraham thought about the  sacrifice that he had to make in the future  

He remembered the resurrection in the past and  that if god could do a miracle then then god   could do a miracle now almost all of us have  a hard time trusting god to do what he said  

He would do in his word through his son and  it might be because we have a memory problem   how quickly we forget that he made the heavens and  the earth that he split the sea and delivered his  

People out of bondage how he brought life from a  dead womb we forget how faithful he’s been to us   and our family how he’s provided for us when we  didn’t even ask how he’s protected us from all  

Kinds of mess but when trials show up now all of  a sudden is i don’t know if god is going to come   through i don’t know if god is going to do this  i don’t know if god is going to do that i don’t  

Know if god is going to show up hasn’t god always  showed up hasn’t god always been good hasn’t god   always been faithful just because you change your  mind every six seconds doesn’t mean that god does  

He is the same god today as he was yesterday  some of us don’t need to fast we need to remember   and it isn’t isn’t this true that the word  of god has provided for us 66 books worth  

Of memories of who god is and how god works which  will inform our faith so that we can obey without   hesitation because abraham has faith in his  god he is willing to sacrifice his only son the text says abraham took  the word of the burnt offering  

And laid it on his son isaac he took in his hand  the fire and the knife and they went both of them   together to the place that god had told  him i want to be clear about something   a burnt offering was a total sacrifice there  were other offerings that would allow you  

To sacrifice an animal and the priest  could take a portion of it home to eat   but a burnt offering was the one offering where  the whole animal was totally consumed the process   went something like this as described in leviticus  1 a male animal without blemish was taken  

The offerer would lay his hand on the animal which  was symbolic of the transferring of the offer   ascends onto the sacrifice an act of atonement  then they’d kill the animal blood would be   collected and thrown on the altar then the animal  would be cut into pieces and arranged on the wood  

Then the animal would be burned and totally  consumed and as the smoke of the animal   rose towards heaven it was said to be a pleasing  aroma to the lord and god told abraham to do that  

To his son the son he loved if this were not a  test god’s character would be questionable at best   seeing that god himself said that human sacrifice  was detestable in deuteronomy 12 and 18.   but since it is a test sacrificing isaac or at  least being willing to do it resolves god of any  

Guilt and refines abraham of any potential sin  this test solidifies abraham’s loyalty to god   over and above love for his son it is clear  that abraham has a deep affection for isaac   god even acknowledges it by saying take  your son your only son isaac whom you love  

And this love is natural this love is good  we should love our children they are good   gifts from a creative god but how easy it is  to take these good gifts and make them god   isaac was special he was the promised  child the seed through whom the whole world  

Would be blessed abraham had parted ways with  his son ishmael years earlier so this was the   only son he had and maybe god knew abraham’s  potential abraham was an idol worshiper before   he was called so it wouldn’t have been out of  character for him to worship something other than  

God maybe god knew that the son he loved could  become the lord he worshiped so to set him free   from any inkling of idolatry god had to put him in  a position to choose and he did he built the altar

He laid the wood he took some rope and wrapped  it around his son’s body so he couldn’t move   and i can only imagine the pain because it  wouldn’t be a sacrifice if it didn’t hurt   a sacrifice isn’t a sacrifice  if it doesn’t cost you something  

This body on this altar is his boy who  he saw every day ate dinner with every   night on the altar he probably looked at  him and saw his own features in his face   alongside fear but either way even with all the  faith in the world sacrificing what you love is  

Devastating but even then god must be worthy of it  all and abraham knows that so with inner certainty   engaging his will leading him to act in a way that  is relative to what he believes he takes the knife  

Ready to slaughter his son then he hears his  name verse 11 abraham abraham and he said   here i am he said do not lay your hand on  the boy or do anything to him for now i know   that you fear god seeing you have not  withheld your son your only son from me  

If there was any doubt who abraham’s god was  this moment made it clear god had refined   abraham’s heart removing any other allegiances  and now he’d revealed it to for god to say   i know that you fear god this anthropomorphic  language god knows everything so it doesn’t  

Mean that god didn’t know it it means that  god is affirming that abraham’s faith is real   and isn’t that what we all want the affirmation  that our faith is authentic because there are   those who will present themselves before jesus  with a bunch of evidence for why they deserve  

Glory did not prophesy in your name did not cast  out demons and perform miracles on your name i   think some of us in this room we would say god  did not preach and expose at the passage correctly  

Did not tithe didn’t i go to seminary and  lead worship and go on mission trips and   vote though certain ways surely that’s proof  of my faith all of which looks impressive   it looks like power it looks like the fruit of  faith but jesus turns to these kinds of people  

And calls them workers of lawlessness god forbid  you have to wait till judgment to find out who   you really are but the irony of it is this the  very act of looking to what you’ve done for jesus  

As evidence of that you know jesus might be the  proof that you don’t because the truly faithful   ones know that they have never done anything  apart from jesus so when they stand before god   they stand before him like the men and the parable  of the talent saying this is what i’ve done with  

What you have given me and do you know what  the master will say to them he’ll say well done   my good and faithful servant and that  is the point of everything my friends   when all the tests and all the trials and all  the pain and all the angst and all the discipline  

And all the suffering is over the point of it  all is that the god of the glory the judge of   the universe the one who cannot lie seated on the  judgment say will say i know that you fear god  

Verse 13 and abraham lifted up his eyes and  looked and behold behind him was a ram caught   in a thicket by his stars and abraham went and  took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering   instead of his son so abraham called the  name of that place the lord will provide  

This moment right here is an  act of substitutionary atonement   instead of isaac being sacrificed  the ram is killed in his place   with substitution one person takes the place of  another bearing the penalty that we reserved for   someone else if isaac was killed as a burnt  offering a few things would have happened  

He would have experienced the death and thus  he would have been separated from his father   he also would have experienced the desecration  of his body as it burned in the fire   and all of this would have happened at  the hands of his father it is because  

God provided the ram that saved isaac from death  separation and destruction but there’s a problem   with all of this sacrificing the burnt offering  functioned as atonement abram and isaac were both   sinners and the wages of sin is dead god’s  justice had to be satisfied by virtue of blood  

Being spilled a life being taken either their  own life or somebody else’s life so the realm   was not only sacrificed instead of isaac before  isaac but even then the ram wasn’t good enough   why because hebrew 10 4 says it is impossible  for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin  

Meaning that this ram though it was a sacrifice it  wasn’t a sufficient one if anything this ram was a   shadow pointing forward to a better sacrifice  one that would not be accomplished by jehovah  

Providing a ram in a bush but by jehovah jireh  providing his son in the flesh and who is this son   i’ll tell you first of all the son was  born to a woman by virtue of a miracle  

His mother wasn’t barren but she was a virgin  named mary who by all accounts should not have   been able to get pregnant seeing as though she  had not been with a man but because nothing is   too hard for the lord she conceived by  the power of the spirit the son grew up  

Learned obedience through what he suffered  being tested by the devil to turn stones   into bread and to worship and thus love  anything more than god but he resisted   every single time to which god publicly affirmed  that his son’s faith was real by saying that this  

Is my beloved son with whom i am well pleased by  then or but then the scenario for which the son   habit was born came to pass the night before the  son had prayed to his daddy prayed to his father  

Said that he wanted this cup to pass from him  he was in a position where he had to choose he   had to choose either his will or his father’s will  and he did this son was made to carry his own wood  

On his own back as he walked toward the top of  a mountain and while up there this son’s body   was secured to the woods so that he couldn’t  move the people said if you are the son of god  

Come down the cross what they didn’t understand  is if he came down they would have had to go up   in his place not dying for them but receiving  the penalty of death that belonged to us because  

It’s easy to forget that since i was born a sinner  and the wages of sin is death that if jesus did my   sins i would have had to pay for my own that even  if i sinned once that meant i deserve the judgment  

That through this death i would be eternally  separated from the life of the father that i would   endure the the pain and the desecration of eternal  destruction and that all of this would happen   at the hands of god the father but for these  people to tell jesus to come down the cross  

They clearly didn’t realize that if he came down  there would be no substitution and that the reason   he stayed is because he loved them to death maybe  they didn’t remember that day when abraham was   asleep and god himself walked through a line  of death walked through blood making it known  

That he was going to keep his promise and do you  know what on the cross god got blood on his hands   god became man so that he could die so as to  maintain a covenant relationship with his people  

There he was god in the flesh being killed like  an animal being slaughtered like the animals   that he walked through becoming a lamb that he  promised to be and there were no rams this time   there was no voice to cry out from heaven to  stop it there was only silence and then those  

Three hours and the dreadful darkness of god’s  presence was the only begotten son whose very own   father was pleased to crush him jesus became  sin so that you could be declared righteous   jesus died so that you could have life jesus  was bruised so you could be healed jesus rose  

From the dead so that you could too that is  the beauty of substitution jesus is the ram   and the bush and jesus is the son who returned  from the dead to worship with his daddy and now   it is through this son jesus that all  who have faith in his name are called  

The sons and daughters of abraham and look at us a  people from every tribe and every tongue and every   nation a church that has lasted for centuries  with millions of saints that have gone before  

Us and who will come after us and if you just look  into the crowd don’t we look like stars what god   promised to abraham in genesis 12  has been realized in us the children   of the promise is there anything too hard for  the lord lord we thank you for this day we thank  

You for your faithfulness we thank you for your  nature and how you have revealed it through christ   by the spirit in the scriptures we pray god that  this would be more than words that this would be  

More than knowledge that it would actually inform  the way we do life the way we love people the way   we engage on social media the way we engage with  our families and our friends in our local churches  

I pray that it even changes the way we pray that  we would pray with power that we will pray with   confidence knowing that we are praying to a good  and a faithful god we love you in jesus name amen

#Jesus #Substitutionary #Atonement #MyNameIsJackieHill

The Nature of Jesus – The Divine/Human Nature of Christ



This one this morning when you were supposed to get the other one so uh those of you who do not have um the nature of christ as related to the nature of man that’s what we’re giving out this time and if you did not get the one that we did this morning which

That was the nature of sin let me know as well and i still have some available uh for you but we want to make sure everybody has this study that we’ll be looking at this afternoon on the nature of christ as we know this is once again a another hot button issue

Within seven day adventism what kind of nature did jesus have did he have the nature of christ or rather the nature of adam before the fall or did he have the nature of adam after the fall and and uh we know that much revolves around this ellen white tells us that

The the nature the humanity of christ means everything to us the humanity of christ means everything to us and it is the golden link which connects our souls to heaven jesus the fact that he came not as god but he came as a human being

In the form of a human being and in having taken the likeness bible says of what kind of flesh sinful flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh we’re going to start out trusting that everybody’s received it we’re going to start out we’re not going to obviously go through each of these and

At the end of this session i also want to give opportunity for questions and answers that you may have um but we’re going to start out we’re not going to go through every single one but the first section is what was the nature of man at creation now this is more or less

Basic foundational uh we know that god created man how in his own image in the image of god created he him male and female created he them this is an incredible advantage that god has given us the fact that we were made in god’s own likeness

In the book sons and daughters of god the very first page is a very powerful statement there sons and daughters of god page one it says that human beings were a new and distinct order of beings you know and and it’s interesting because in genesis chapter 2 we find that the record says

In verse 1 the heavens thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them so if i’m understanding this correctly human beings were were the crowning act of god’s creation this was the last stop you and me when we were created

And he said we we’re going to make this order of being new and distinct from every other order of being that we’ve made we’re going to make him in our own likeness then she says he alone is made is is capable of partaking of the divine nature you didn’t get that

It said he alone is made capable of partaking of the divine nature what kind of nature does god have what is that what what is divine nature what what consists of the divine nature all knowing right he’s all omniscient what else is part of god’s omnipresent everywhere present he’s he’s in contact

With all of the areas of his vast creation what else pure he’s righteous holy what else he’s omnipotent and omnipotent all power unlimited power so god is telling us that he made us capable of being a sharer in those things are you starting to get this hallelujah i’m serious

It almost sounds like heresy right i mean if it weren’t for the the servant of the lord saying that i’d say it is heresy but god said it and i believe it steps to christ 17 man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind he was perfect in his being

And in harmony with god his thoughts were pure his aims holy 8mr 39 he was furnished with what kind of nature holy nature what else sinless what else pure and undefiled now we we found out this morning that once adam fell he could no longer pass to his posterity

What he no longer possessed and what is that a holy nature sinless so this should forever settle in our minds the the notion because i’m telling you brothers and sisters there may not be anybody here today that believes this but i have talked to a number of seven-day adventists who believe somehow

That infants are born sinless and somehow they don’t become sinful until they make a choice to sin that’s not that’s not what god says you know the bible says we are all as in what unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are filthy rags that’s not even talking about the bad

Deeds that’s that’s your good deeds are like filthy rags and if you go and look at what isaiah is actually saying there in that text it’s talking about women’s menstrual rags and they didn’t have tampons back then so those rags were just good enough to do what with them throw them away

One time use that’s how our good works are in god’s sight see and then job tells us who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean see so it’s impossible by the very nature of the laws that are in operation since creation for adam to have anyone come down line from him

Now that he has fallen being sinless impossible see the only way you and i can attain to sinlessness is by faith in christ jesus he says that’s why in fact let’s go to john chapter three and see something very significant that jesus is saying on this subject because

We need to make sure that we understand these foundational principles of the plan of salvation in john chapter 3 jesus is having this conversation with a church leader and he tells him you should know these things you mean you’re a teacher in israel and you don’t know these things and he tells him

In verse 5 verily verily i say unto you except a man be what born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of god that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit and what is jesus saying there

When you’re born the first time you’re born of the flesh isn’t that right when you’re born the first time you are not born of the spirit otherwise you wouldn’t need to be born again right there’s nobody born of the spirit but one person and who was that jesus christ conceived

Of the holy ghost see so jesus didn’t need to be born again we do isn’t that right we every man he said except a man be born again there’s no exceptions to this now it doesn’t it doesn’t forego the fact that those who may be born into a godly family

They’re going to have some advantages isn’t that right with the mother and father have devoted their lives to christ and even from the earliest moments while that child is in the womb they are singing the songs of zion to it reading the word that child is going to

Have some advantages over somebody who doesn’t have that isn’t that right but it still does not constitute that child sinless why because it the genes go all the way back clear to who adam and none of us escape that okay so we were furnished with this holy nature sinless pure undefiled but

The second part of our study how did sin affect the nature of man now let’s go back there i know you you know this but you know let’s go back there to genesis 3 and look at how sin affected the nature of man right there in the garden

Before we even get put out of the garden watch what happens this is uh genesis 3 starting at verse 8 they heard the voice of the lord god walking in the garden in the cool of the day and adam and his wife did what now did they ever do that before no

It before this time it was a delight to see jesus coming to talk with them right now something has totally changed in them that caused them to want to do the opposite see before there was like a magnet jesus is here now those magnets are turned the other way

And we’re hiding from jesus amazing then it says from the presence of the lord amongst the trees of the god the lord called to adam and said unto him where art thou and he said i heard your voice in the garden and i was afraid what was he afraid of

Where did that come from where did this fear come from sin right sin had totally transformed their whole outlook towards god now totally now watch this i was afraid because i was naked lost the presence the lost the glory of god and i hid myself and he said who told you

That you were naked have you eaten up the tree where have i commanded you that you should not eat and adam said yes lord i did please forgive me that’s not what he said right he said the woman whom you gave to me to be with me she gave me of the tree

And i did it now just a little bit ago adam we’re told by inspiration was looking upon eve and because he loved her he did what he hate because he couldn’t he couldn’t imagine an existence without her so supposedly because he he loved her so greatly he was ready to share her fate

And now who knows this may have been just a hour two later would it he’s ready to throw her under the bus see get her she did it i was not responsible for this i was minding my business doing what i was supposed to do

And you god gave this woman to me see so it’s not my fault yeah it’s your fault and her fault that’s basically what he’s saying isn’t it you see what sin does how quickly the change has come remember this morning we said the principle of what selfishness is now in control

See the law of sin is in the flesh it’s all about me now sorry eve you know i mean i i felt like i loved you before but now that it’s judgment time you’re on your own see what i’m saying that’s that’s what that’s what it came down to

Now let’s see what happens with e okay lord didn’t even deal with that right there he said okay um the lord god said unto the woman what is this that you have done and the woman said lord i am so sorry please forgive me i did exactly what you said not to do

Didn’t do it same principle in her right the woman said the serpent beguiled me and i did eat in other words you know i mean you had this serpent in here i mean if he was if you didn’t allow him to be here we would be all right today it’s not me

Get the serpent he did it see and this this is see again this is now passed on to every one of us in our nature we we naturally do not want to take responsibility for our own sins right we naturally when somebody comes to reprove us for sin

We’re ready to be on the defense isn’t that right we’re ready to think of how that does not apply to me automatic the principle the law of selfishness see this is a ruling dominating force that’s now in control of the thoughts and the feelings of mommy and daddy adam and eve see

All right so when we go over to romans 7 we see paul bringing this out also in a very powerful way this chapter of course being another very controversial part of scripture what does paul actually mean what is what is he actually saying here but paul is underscoring

That we have something operating in our nature that is more powerful than your will okay in romans 7 verse 14 for we know that the law is spiritual but i am carnal sold under sin who sold him unto sin adam and eve right so we were born on a plantation brothers and sisters

We were born on the plantation we didn’t make that choice and this is why god has pitied our estate can you say amen today he knows we didn’t make this choice he knows we can’t be as it were blamed for how we came into the world we didn’t have a vote in that

Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if we could have sat back and say you know in this list of jeans i don’t think i want that one put that one to the side that one yeah i’ll take that one we didn’t have that choice did we no you got whatever

Came from the genetic code of your mother and your father period and who knows what is upline from that tree see they can be things that come back your mother and father is like where did that come from you know granddaddy wasn’t like this i don’t know grandmother wasn’t like this see

Things you know they’re things we are still studying about the genetic code and discovering that that are incredible but this law of heredity it it dictates that like begets like and therefore it is just as impossible for any one of us to be born into holiness innate holiness

As it is for a shark to give birth to a giraffe it’s not going to happen like begets like it’s a law see so as paul goes on he says he he starts breaking down how it has been demonstrated that i am sold under sin 4 verse 15 that which i do

I what allow not for what i would that do i not but what i hate that do i you read the greek there that’s what i practice now just before anybody gets worried i do not believe that this is describing the victorious christian living okay so you can have a sigh of relief

Right but this is what we need to come to grips with in order to get to the other side of victoria’s christian living we first have to realize how hopeless a situation we are in so that we can be ready to be saved by the savior

He says if then i do that which i would not i consent to the law that it is good the law is not the problem is it now then it is no more i that do it but what sin that dwells in me now that kind of verse right there

Doesn’t fit into a whole lot of people’s theology it sounds like paul is abdicating all responsibility for what he’s doing he’s saying i’m not doing this sin that lives in me is doing this is that what he’s saying that’s what he’s saying isn’t it and he says it more than once

He says for i know that in me that is in my flesh dwells how many good things no good thing for to will is present with me you see the choice is here right now this is what he’s dealing with i’m choosing to do good right i’m making a decision

I’m going to do good right then he says but how to perform that which is good what can’t find it where is he looking for it in himself and that’s why he’s not finding it because it’s not here the will to do it you know he says i delight in the law of

God the law is doing its job it’s showing us man we’re in trouble it’s doing its job it’s just showing you you got mud on your face you need something to clean that but you don’t have any cleaner on you see so he says for the good that i would

I do not but the evil which i would not that i do there it is again now if i do that i would not it is no more i that do it paul’s being repetitive here that means this is something we really need to get right repetition deepens the impression

So paul’s saying it over and over again but sin that dwells in me i find then a what there’s that word a principle a law that when i would do good by choice evil is present with me so what happened here as we’re seeing here by this study of the nature

Of christ and the nature of man and how sin affected us the genetic code which started with adam and eve was corrupted does that make sense the genetic code was corrupted and therefore every person coming out from his loins would be receiving corrupted code that’s you and i isn’t that right

It’s a law this sin has been passed down by law and this is what he’s finding out this is what we need to find out for i delight in the law of god after you inward man but i see a what another law where in my members

Warring against the law of my mind and doing what else bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members see oh wretched man that i am who will deliver me from the body of this death now this is the place we have to come to

Before we can be saved we have to see i am messed up and if i’m going to be saved at all it’s got to be jesus coming in and saving me from myself see so we have to see that there’s nothing that we can fix about ourselves nothing that we can patch up

We have to be delivered from this body of death you see when he says that it’s in my members what is a member of body parts that’s literal what he’s saying that’s not just spiritual talk our brother was just mentioning this at the uh the table

You can as it were peel back the skin of your head and you will see starting from your brain what are called nerve patterns and those nerve those brain nerve patterns are the habits that have been developed in you both by inheritance and by cultivation

So we are as as you’ve all heard we are creatures of habit see so these things are written in fact when david says in psalm chapter 51 verse 5 he says i was behold i was what shapen in iniquity and in sin then my mother conceived me now that that’s con

Significant what david is saying there when he says i was shaping in iniquity david is talking there about the formative time when he was in his mother’s womb when those first two cells came together and then started multiplying that’s when the shaping took place for every one of us

And david is saying i was shaping i was formed and developed in the womb in sin it’s written in our very genetic code and this is why every single person since the beginning of the fall has sinned that’s why the bible says if any man says i have no sin

What does he say about you you’re lying truth’s not in you it’s there is a law there are laws in operation here and adam just happened to be the progenitor of the race the one who gets to pass down to every generation past the results of what he did

You see it would have worked the other way if adam had remained faithful we would have been born holy we would have been born sinless see born in harmony with the will of god by law but the law works either way see now jesus steps in this is where some people

Uh have have wondered well doesn’t jesus step in and undo everything that jesus did yes but that’s where we must make a choice see notice in i’m not going to go back there for sake of time but in john 3 jesus actually says that he

That believes not on the son of man he says he’s condemned what’s the next word already in other words your default position in adam is condemnation that’s what we read in romans 5. see so your choice not to believe in jesus and take the escape route out of your lost condition

You are thereby choosing by default to stay in adam and be condemned you’re condemned already that choice was made for you by adam thousands of years ago so you don’t have to do anything but what you naturally do to remain in condemnation but you do have to make a choice

No i’m getting off this ride i’m not going there with you satan amen you know when the when the lifeboat comes by i read this some years ago i think it was by j.h wagner and he was dealing with this very issue of how uh you know people have a hard

Time accepting that somebody else could make a decision for me like adam in the garden and he says you know if somebody pushed you into the water and you started drowning you know and then a uh lifeboat comes by to save you are you going to us

Stay there while you’re struggling to to keep from drowning and say well i i first got to find out who it is that pushed me in here and it’s i’m not responsible for this i didn’t get in here somebody else got me in here are you gonna

Go through all of that are you gonna accept the salvation that’s here to get you right you’d be crazy if you didn’t right so you know we may not be able to fully understand all of these things but the the bottom line is that jesus has made a way of escape for

Every human being on the planet every human being was represented by adam and every represent every human being was represented by the last album praise god now let’s see how much more we can cover of this going on to the the second page um in regards to how

The how sin has affected our nature uh notice in in uh counsels the teachers page 33 on the second page the transgression of god’s law brought woe and death in its train through disobedience man’s powers were perverted and selfishness took the place of love his nature became what so weakened that

It was what impossible for him to resist the power of evil impossible see now the only way it is possible for you to resist evil is by connecting with jesus christ then it is possible then sin is not excusable anymore see but we must first become aware

Of the salvation that is available to us see and that’s where you and i come in see there’s so many people out there that have no idea that the lifeboat is here to get them and jesus has sent you and i to go get them and let them know he has some salvation

For you so his nature became so weakened that it was impossible for him to resist the power of evil all right now skip down to the little statement there from education page 29 notice this one the result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

Is manifest in how many men’s experience every man’s experience there is in his nature a what bent to evil a force a what force which unaided he will have a hard time resisting he cannot resist why because this is a law a principle principles do not respect your freedom of choice

If i go on the top of this roof and decide to violate the law of gravity believing that i’m going to do it am i going to break the law or is the law going to break me yeah exactly right a force which unaided he cannot resist

All right reviewing hero 5 27 84 just before his cruel death jesus said the prince of this world comes and has nothing in me hallelujah satan could find nothing in the son of god that would enable him to gain a victory he had kept his father’s commandments and

There was no sin in him that satan could triumph over no weakness or defect that he could use to his advantage but we are what sinful by nature and we have a work to do to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement was jesus sinful by nature are you sure

Alleluia if he was sinful like us he would need a savior but jesus took sinful nature upon him but he did not become sinful by nature there’s the difference and this is where this is the the distinction we must make right now this one is not in your

Study this is signs of the times 2 13 93 when man sinned all heaven was filled with sorrow can you imagine for through yielding to temptation man became the enemy of god a partaker of the satanic nature the image of god in which he had been created was marred and distorted

The character of man was out of harmony with the character of god for through sin man became carnal and the carnal heart is enmity against god is not subject to the law of god neither indeed can be all right now on to the next page three the words this is from spaulding and

Began 209 this words flesh or fleshly lust carnal us embrace the lower what kind of nature corrupt nature the flesh of itself cannot act contrary to the will of god we are commanded to do what with the flesh crucify with the affections and lusts so it has to have the consent of your

Will now this is on the other side of the equation once we have come to christ and we’ve been made aware that he has power to deliver me from myself now i understand that this slavery this bondage that i’ve been involved in i can break this now with with god’s help

And i don’t have to be a slave to these passions anymore i don’t have to be a slave to this appetite anymore amen these are the things that we come to understand when christ comes into our lives so what is required to read what was required to redeem man from the fall

Into sin okay and in romans 4 23-5 it says now it was written for abraham it was not written excuse me for his abraham’s sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we do what believe on him that raised up jesus our

Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses what part of the the work of jesus is that speaking of when he was delivered for our offenses the crucifixion this is the delivering up of himself to pay for the infinitesimal amount of sins that are represented by all of the race

Of adam he delivered himself up for our offenses what’s the next part but and also was raised again for what reason our justification see it wasn’t enough for the debt to be paid justification is where it where jesus now fixes what’s wrong with you ellen white says that justification is not a mere

Judicial act whereby he sets you free from condemnation but it is also reclaiming from sin see that’s justification by faith when we accept the work that christ has done for us he not only says i forgive you but i also give you for your sins my righteousness see what forgiveness entails

It’s not just saying okay i won’t be mad at you anymore it’s also saying i’m gonna reach into your life now and start changing what you are and making you what i am that’s god’s justification making you right praise god all right now notice i’m just going to read this

Last uh sentence of the statement from 2sp that spirit of prophecy volume 2 pages 9 and 10. this is what was required to redeem us his life jesus life was of sufficient value to rescue man from his fallen condition see an angel couldn’t do this because not only do we need to be

Forgiven but we needed somebody who who was whose life was of sufficient value that he could actually impart his life to all of us angel can’t do that because he gets his life from the same source that we get ours from and an angel’s life would not pay all of the debts

Of all of us but jesus could his life was of sufficient value to rescue us how did christ undertake now we get into just what type of nature christ took it says in john 1 14 what somebody read it for me the word was made flesh and dwelt among us

Now one thing we can we can be certain of that when the bible speaks about flesh what kind of flesh is it talking about sinless or sinful i heard both well let me ask you when adam was created in the image of god what kind of flesh did he have sin less flesh

After adam’s sin what kind of flesh did he have sinful so then when jesus comes into the world and receives flesh of man what kind of flesh did he receive sinful sinful flesh there’s only one kind of flesh now that we are on the other side of the garden of eden

Only one kind that’s why uh john says in first john chapter 4 that if if when you’re trying the spirits any spirit that confesses not that jesus is what come in the flesh single article in the flesh he’s not of god see so if you’ve got somebody preaching to

You that that jesus came and sinned less flesh what does that say about that person that’s an antichrist you’re dealing with he failed the test because jesus came in the only kind of flesh that humans have sinful flesh praise god it wouldn’t be in any test for jesus to come in sinless flesh

We don’t have that we’re not tempted adam wasn’t even tempted by sin sin less flesh right so we needed somebody to come down to our level and take our kind of equipment on you know so and then of course romans 8 3 and 4 god sending his own son in the likeness of

Sinful flesh and for sin condemn sin where and if he condemned it where it was in the flesh he condemned it praise god that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled where so you know there goes this idea that jesus fulfilled all the law so we don’t have to keep it

That’s not what he said does it yes that’s right what good would that do if jesus just did it for himself he said in john 17 i say for their sakes i sanctify myself you know that they also might be sanctified by the truth so that the

Law of righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit all right many other excellent texts here that make it very plain hebrews 2 14 to 18 for as much then as the children who are the children that’s us

All right as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death if he had sinless flesh he wouldn’t have been able to die adam would never have died if he had

Remained in sinless flesh and if he had remained faithful to god his flesh would not have become sinful flesh jesus came with sin full flesh so that he could die for us you see that to destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil did you know the devil

Had the power of death but jesus took it away from him praise the lord wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren now is this all things is there no how do i want to put this are there any any particulars in which he was not made

Like like us let’s read the next uh statement here 16 mr 182 but as christ humbled himself to to the nature of man he could be tempted he had not taken on him even the nature of the angels but humanity what read this together with me perfectly identical with our own nature except

So is there any exception except what does the word accept mean that means that that was one area that he was not taking on what we have except without the taint of sin a human body human mind with all the peculiar properties he was bone brain muscle a

Man of our flesh he was compassed with the weakness of humanity as it says later on that he was capable of yielding to temptations now james chapter 1 tells us that god cannot be tempted with evil that means impossible it’s impossible for god to be tempted with evil you cannot tempt god

To overeat you cannot tempt god to commit adultery you cannot tell none of the things that we are tempted with are a temptation for god that’s what james says so he had to come close enough to us to be able to be tempted with these things and that’s what he did see

But he did not take the taint of sin in other words he did just like we said before he did not become sinful he was not born in sin but we are born in sin you see the difference okay now i love this one it’s very short medical ministry page 181 was one

Sentence but very significant it says he took upon his what kind of nature sin less nature our sin full nature that he might know how to that are succeed so if we want to consider this is jesus he comes into the world and in his entrance or as he enters

This world what kind of nature does he have by heritage a sin less nature but he takes upon this sinless nature what our sin full nature how many natures that does that give him two you see the point so we cannot see the problem with so many of us is we are

Trying to do exactly what inspiration said not to do to present him as all together human such a one is ourselves he says it cannot be that’s right he wouldn’t be able to save us at all you know that’s right so he took upon what he already had from eternity

He didn’t get rid of that it didn’t disappear it was still there in him but he clothed it that’s another way that ellen white likes to refer to it he clothed his divinity with humanity see so it was close enough to him that he could feel the promptings of this sinful flesh

He could know what it is like notice it says so he could know how to help us aren’t you thankful for jesus he came that close so that he could literally feel in himself what it is to be tempted in your flesh what it is to feel those promptings to

To want to just lash out of somebody when they get on your nerves see all of the things he covered all the bases inspiration says hebrews 4 15 we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities hallelujah but was in all points

Tempted like as we are what a savior now here’s an interesting point as well you and i we’re born into this world we have our line of lineage our lineage and whatever is imparted to us in our particular line those are our particular temptations you have your temptations i have mine

I may have no problem with some of the areas that you have a problem with and vice versa isn’t that right and it all is determined by what came down your particular line but jesus it tells us um this is in your study as well like every child of adam

I’m not looking at it right now but it says like every child of adam jesus accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity see but now jesus somehow this is mysterious but somehow jesus is partaking and accepting of that law of heredity i believe covered all of the lines

Not just his particular line because he had to be able to be tempted in all points like as we are see there’s another thing that only god could do only a divine being could do because he made us see he had the capacity in his soul and his being

Of being able to cover all of the lines of heredity in himself and feel the temptations that all of us feel that i may not feel or you may not feel but there’s not a one of us who will be able to say that you don’t know what

It’s like to be in my shoes jesus he covered all the bases see only a divine being could do that see this is why colossians chapter 3 believe it is says when christ who is our life shall come christ is our life he doesn’t just give you life

He is our life there’s some deep deep ones on that as well uh notice uh confrontation 78 by experiencing in himself the strength of satan’s temptation and of human sufferings and infirmities where did he experience it in himself in himself okay he had all the strength of the passion of humanity

In himself upon him uh 3sm 139 and 40 he came not to our world to give the obedience of a lesser god to a greater but as a man to obey god’s holy law and in this way he is our example so there’s only a slight difference in jesus test to our test

Jesus test was to maintain the holiness that he had from eternity the test was to to determine whether jesus would be able to resist yielding to this sinful equipment that was upon him throughout his lifetime now we on the other hand come into the world already submitted to it

By the laws of heredity we come into the world with these genetic codes already having pre-programmed you to submit to them before you even know about the gospel or you had sufficient uh development or growth to figure out right from wrong this is why children small children four you know it

You’re telling you alive where did that come from who taught them that see where did that come from yes sir you know yeah this is already hardwired into our very being you see so jesus is coming in to overcome res uh the temptation to yield to our equipment

We are coming from the state a different standpoint we are needing to overcome what we have already been subjected to do you see the difference see we’re in the pit already thanks to adam we need a strong hand to reach down and pull us out he couldn’t save us if he got already

All the way down in the pit but he came close enough so that he could experience what we experience and overcome on our behalf all right now let’s skip on to uh page five um just a few things we’ll notice here in in uh section 5 to what extent did

Christ identify with fallen humanity it says in 5 bc 1080 satan assailed christ through every conceivable form of temptation now just conceive in your mind of the types of temptations you know some some people wonder did jesus ever have to deal with this or did jesus ever have to deal with that

What did god say he covered all the bases every conceivable okay now this is this next one you might want to put a asterisk beside this because it is not a published statement you have to get this from the from the uh archives but it’s interesting what it says coming

As he did as a man to meet and be subjected with all the evil tendencies to which man is heir notice what we just mentioned how we all receive a heritage of sin that is particular to whatever our fathers and our mothers and our forefathers have passed on to us

But jesus comes and gets subjected to all of those that man is heir to all right in the next statement he was dependent upon the omnipotent for his life christ did nothing that human nature may not do if it does what partakes of the divine nature that’s a good one isn’t it

That lets us know everything jesus did you can do it by god’s grace by dwelling in him by faith all right it says then the next one the humanity of christ was taxed as none of us will ever know so if you’re tempted to think well jesus had an advantage over me because

He was he also had a divine nature you will never know none of us will ever know just how taxing the test was for jesus jesus was if when you put everything together jesus if anything was at a disadvantage to you and to me let me give you one example when

You and i sin the bible says we have an advocate with the father jesus christ the righteous who was jesus advocate should he send who was going to come and save jesus if he sinned one time was there going to be a second chance for jesus

And we’re going to see we’re going to see i’m i’m going to hold your points because we’re going to have a time for questions and answers but i got some statements in here that answer that question powerful way in fact well i want to skip over some of these but uh notice

On page six it tells us in 21 mr 402 and 3 every step christ took was taken in full entire dependence upon god that’s what we need full and entire dependence on god because we’ve learned we’ve understood that there’s nothing in me you know jesus said when you’ve done

Everything that is commanded of you to do then this is what i want you to say we are unprofitable servants we have done what was commanded of us that’s what jesus said and i looked up that word unprofitable and it means worthless i said i had a hard time with that at

First when i read i was like wow lord you mean we we’re worthless how is it that we are to con how to say that we’re worthless servants but that’s what he said this is the this is how we are to regard ourselves when we do all that god has commanded us

When we adopt health reform when we adopt dress reform when we adopt sabbath reform when we adopt all of the reforms that god has called us to re to adopt and god does expect us to do that right we’re not in any way belittling these things because they are very necessary for your

Preparation to pass the investigative judgment amen god gave us these messages and he means business about it right so we’re not in any way belittling these things but when we’ve done all of these things we’re still to understand that they are not the bases whereby i am being allowed into the

Kingdom of heaven you see that’s not the basis what is the basis christ and his righteousness what he did you see jesus the law i think i have this one in here um anyway it tells us and this is based on galatians uh what paul says in galatians that

Cursed is every man that continueth not in all things that are written in the law to do them and then ellen white comments that the law demands of us perfect unbroken obedience throughout the entire existence of man that’s what the law demands of you now how many of us have that to offer

See not one that’s why you can never be saved based on your record it’s all by grace god has loved us and therefore he has imputed christ’s righteousness to us and credited to us so that we when we’re allowed into the kingdom of heaven we’re allowed based on the supposed fact that

You live the life that jesus did of perfect obedience from birth till death you see that that’s what it means by imputing to you is credited to your account see just as fully as it was credited to our account that we did what adam did when we had no choice in that

It is also credited to us that we did what jesus did even though we didn’t choose that either see that’s the gospel brothers and sisters and it’s incredibly good news it’s so good that people can’t blame bring themselves to believe it they think it’s too good to be true

The thought that the righteousness the perfect record of christ is credited to you and me based on no merit of ours at all it’s a precious thought see all right um okay notice this one this is also on page six 16 mr 1 82 and 3. this is this is significant

As well it says the divine nature combined with the human made him capable of yielding to satan’s temptations here the test of christ was what far greater than that of adam and eve for christ took our nature what fallen but not corrupted and would not be corrupted unless what

He received the words of satan in the place of the words of god so he took our nature fallen but not corrupted remember that very important okay all right let’s go forward in uh page seven notice i’m just picking certain things out of here i encourage you of course to

Read the whole context even beyond what i have in here of all of these statements it will be a very fruitful study for you guaranteed it says we should have no misgivings in regard to the what perfect sinlessness of the human nature of christ perfect sinlessness why because he did not once yield

To that sinful flesh only at that point would it have become his own but he never owned it it was only on him by lone you might say for a temporary period of time does jesus have sinful flesh now no he said he has a glorified body

And if we’re faithful what’s going to happen with us we’re going to have a glorified body like unto his glorified body bible says so thank god he came off victorious um okay go ahead and as i said on your time look at the rest of these we’re gonna skip forward fast forward

For sake of time um page 8 signs of times 12 9 1897 the human nature of christ was like unto ours and suffering was more keenly felt by him why for his spiritual nature was what free from every taint of sin so what part of christ’s nature was sinless spiritual nature

You know a.t jones says it this way don’t drag his mind into it see don’t drag his mind into his taking of sinful nature upon him that nature remained perfectly free from sin thank god all right then the next one youth instructor 6 2 98 in his human nature he maintained key words

Maintained the purity of his divine character see so again this underscores that jesus comes into the world with what he had from eternity he didn’t give that up he ellen white says that he didn’t go out of himself to another but he took humanity into himself and gave humanity and existence out of

Himself that’s deep 1sm 250 is where that’s found he didn’t become somebody else it was still jesus there but it says he maintained what he had by the same methods that you and i must gain what he had amen amen amen all right then um notice at the bottom of the page

21 mr page 11 christ did not need to fast for 40 days because of inward corruption or to subdue self he was sinless it was on our account that he fasted all right um now page nine top notice this one that goes together with one we just recently read signs of the

Times 1 16 96 christ did no sin neither was god found in his mouth he corrupted not human nature and though in the flesh he transgressed not the law of god in any particular the humanity of christ is called what that holy thing where did that come from

Scripture of luke chapter 3 believe it is where the angel is speaking of jesus at what stage in his life in the womb and he calls jesus what that holy thing now could any of us be referred to when we were in the womb as that holy thing that’s in your womb

That’d be blasphemy right this is jesus coming here the what inspiration has to say this whole section goes into the subject of infants and the unborn right we’re going to skip past that and on page 10 um d.a desire of ages 5 14 even the babe in

His mother’s arms may dwell as under the shadow of the almighty through the faith of the praying mother isn’t that a blessing john the baptist was filled with the holy spirit from when his birth wow if we will live in communion with god we too may expect what

The divine spirit to mold our little ones even from their earliest moments wow praise god you know so and now interestingly enough again on this point of what this constitutes ellen white says about john i believe it’s in the same book desire of ages that john had by nature the faults and weaknesses

Common to humanity but the touch of divine love had transformed him see so even though this is the same john that was filled with the holy spirit from his birth from the womb but she says that he had what faults and weaknesses common to humanity see so even this great advantage does not

Render an infant sinless see we all need to be born again amen there’s not a single person that does not need to be born again the second time and now this is another one that’s not in your study this is 2t 391 this one sentence children are born with the animal propensities

Largely developed so on the other side of the equation the parent’s own stamp of character having been given to them so if we’re not living holy lives if we’re living sinful lives what happens to our child they receive notice he says they can actually be born with animal propensities largely developed

That’s very significant now when that child is born how would you be able to tell from looking at the child that its animal propensities are largely developed the animal propensities what do you know the child needs to eat right and the answer that i believe to that is you cannot tell

You cannot tell because there’s not sufficient growth or maturity for him to manifest those animal propensities see until that takes place that’s when you will see now what why do why am i bringing this up because once again this this gets into the genetic code and the fact that while we’re being

Shapen in the womb those cells and this this is a fascinating area of study genetics the cells are loaded with information just like computer chips and when those com those cells start coming together and multiplying they are already pre-programmed with information of how to shape you

How to form you what to impart to you from your mother father grandmother grandfather and on back all of that information is already in those first two cells from the time they come together and start multiplying see and so those parents who are giving loose rain to their passions

This is the context of this statement the fact that we can be intemperate even in the marriage con marriage ban in the marriage relation isn’t that right yeah god says that we’re to be temperate in all things even in our marital privileges amen mighty quiet in all things

So she’s talking about marital excess in this very context and she says when we are out of control with our passions in the marital uh union the child is going to be endowed with animal propensities largely developed you see very important that we understand these things all right on the page 11

You in summary section number eight how can the humanity of christ be described nine be a seven bc 904 she says christ could have done nothing during his earthly ministry and saving fallen man if the divine had not been what blended with the human the limited capacity of man cannot

Define this wonderful mystery the blending of the two natures the divine and the human when will it be able to be explained never so you know we’re just scratching the surface here this this afternoon that’s about all we’ll get we’ll never be able to fully explain

But boy we sure try hard don’t we will never be able to fully explain this wonderful mystery now blending notice she’s using the term blending of the two natures when you take a blender and you put some ingredients in it put some water and you know some oats and

We’re going to make some old burgers you know well i i guess you don’t have to use a blender to make old burgers do you but uh let’s make some soy milk then you know we put some soy powder yeah smoothie you know whatever you whatever you prefer

When we put those articles in the blender before we push the button can you tell where the smoothie uh parts of the banana is and where the uh pineapple is can you can you distinguish all those things you can still distinguish all that but once you push that button what happens

You can’t tell where that banana is and where the pineapple is and where the apple is right it’s all blended up see this is what happened when jesus joined himself to this human race it’s mysteriously blended now come on sir forever brothers and sisters jesus is to be this way

He made an eternal choice for us a fundamental change in the existence of jesus has been made forever he’ll never go back to how life used to be before he left heaven all right in in section 9 there’s much more there about the mysteries and so on but in section 9

What were the risks involved in christ’s mission in human form right notice in hebrews 5 7 it says who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplication with strong what crying and tears unto him that was able to do what save him from death

And was heard in that he feared now it says that jesus was engaging in strong crying and tears about what being saved from death do you think this is talking about gethsemane this is not talking about gethsemane i believe this is giving us a window into what

Life was like in general for jesus because as we just alluded to a little bit ago you know we have a phrase of walking on eggshells this is this is was jesus life see we’re told by inspiration that if satan had touched the head of christ

All it would have taken would be one thought of sin and what would have happened to jesus this is it this is it probation is over and and we’ll see that in these statements that follow jesus had no second chance jesus had no backup redeemer to come and redeem him

This was the last stop not only for jesus but also for us okay 7 bc 926 he became subject to temptation what is the next word there endangering as it were his divine attributes what does that mean it means that jesus being who he was as god being kind being loving being caring

Being patient being temperate all of those divine attributes could have become just the opposite with jesus endangering who he was s t 5 10 99 for a period of time christ was what on probation are we on probation yes can we compare our probation to jesus probation no

He took humanity on himself to stand the test and trial which the first adam failed to endure had he failed in his test and trial he would have been disobedient to the voice of god and what else would have happened the world would have been lost next one

10 mr 386 to the honor and glory of god his beloved son the surety the substitute was delivered up and descended into the prison house of the grave the new tomb enclosed him in its rocky chambers if one single sin had tainted his character the stone would never have been rolled away

From the door of his rocky chamber and the world with his burden of guilt would have perished 1sm 256 page 12 could satan in the least particular least particular have tempted christ to sin he would have bruised the savior’s head as it was he could only touch his heel had the head

Of christ been touched the hope of the human race would have perished divine wrath would have come upon christ as it came upon adam christ and the church would have been without hope isn’t this something brother sis you see what was at risk with jesus every day every day was a new possibility

That he just might fail i’m serious and brothers and sisters this means that if he had failed guess what that’s right and guess what else moses elijah enoch come on back down it’s over that’s right it’s all over paul’s in collection page 400 christ has found his pearl of great price and lost

Perishing souls hallelujah he sold all that he had to come into possession even engaged to do the work and run the risk of losing his own life in the conflict and we’ll just stop there i think that’s a good place for us to pause and think diligently

On what it cost us or rather what it costs god to redeem us from sin what would cause jesus to be engaged in strong crying and tears to his father to save him from death see when we’re finding it so hard to give up those things that we love so

Much it’s because we’re not looking at this right here see when we’re told that the cup trembled in jesus hands that his father gave him the drink for us what does that mean it means that it was a struggle for him it means that it was a very real temptation for him

To let ungrateful man die for his own sins and go back to heaven it’s very real this is how serious sin is so before we entertain uh questions answers comments whatever you have let us bow together and once again ask god to help us to receive the hatred of sin

That we must have to enter the eternal kingdom of god oh lord we are humbled as we think of such a great price that was paid for our redemption we can’t understand it we cannot fathom how we are worth so much to you but lord because you have paid the price you didn’t

Draw back even though you were tempted to do so lord we it is just our reasonable service to surrender all to you it’s our reasonable service lord to do whatever you would have us to do it’s only our reasonable service lord to be perfectly obedient to all of your commandments

And lord we surrender this afternoon take us lord you know we’re powerless in and of ourselves to be perfectly obedient but lord we accept your gospel that in christ what is impossible is possible we thank you lord for this window of viewing our savior and eating his flesh and drinking his blood

May this be but the beginning of a continual feast for us of his flesh and his blood and we know lord that the more time we are spending doing this the more easier it will become for us to separate from sin the easier it will become for us to view

Sin like you view it and the more hateful sin will become in our eyes that cause this that we have read thank you father for your great salvation in jesus name amen amen praise god i saw my brother’s hand if you have any questions or comments you would like to

Make now is that opportunity um yes of the sanctuary with this rope and as i studied and studied the scriptures i never could find a rope being in the century right and this uh kind of related to that that’s what i saw when i threw up my hand i mean i saw that

And and i wanted to ask you about that expound on that could you do that for me sir right right from what uh uh from what i have found i haven’t found anything that actually corroborates that tradition now i heard brother corn say it may be in josephus writings okay

From what i understand that is just an historical um point that’s brought out by jose josephus and saying that’s what they did but it’s not it cannot be found in scripture right right okay okay anyone else pastor i had uh read in the spirit of prophecy we were sharing earlier in the beginning

And i read where it says that christ had designed us or we were designed to be the counterpart of god hallelujah he’s awesome that one word right there is very significant counterpart uh of god you know we we we are only faintly understanding our privileges as having been made in the image and

Likeness of god and you know that brings to mind um the fact that we are told that now you know ellen white says in desire of ages that uh the fact that jesus has come into the world and become one of us or be joined himself to us

He says it brings us even closer to god than we would have been had we never sinned amen you see and this is uh i i think i have this statement somewhere in my notes um yeah i can’t find it right away but nevertheless she does say

That uh we have the privilege of partaking of a nature higher than that which was forfeited by transgression see so in other words uh now that sin has come into the picture and god has put in effect the plan of redemption which was made well back in eternity past

We are now even brought to a higher plane of existence than had we never fallen because jesus is now a permanent member of our race of beings hallelujah yes my question is concerning adam and eve um we know that god cannot be tempted with sin

Right so he cannot be even moved to sin and um i know that adam and eve were created in his image when the temptation came to them was it really a okay i know eve started off because she was deceived and she fell there but with adam was he

Moved to sin or was he created in god’s image where he could not be tempted to sin or move to sin or you understand where i’m coming from maybe you may want to elaborate a little more yeah okay man was created in god’s image but man could not be moved to sin yet

Adam was moved to sin he was tempted with sin okay right so uh you know adam in other words even though he was made in god’s likeness uh nevertheless we know that uh he had obviously the ability to be tempted you know but it was not inward temptation

Because he because as we read he was made holy you know there was not an inward pull it came from without and this is why jesus temptation was far greater because it came from in and out outside with jesus anyone else um i would like to say maybe to add to that

To your question it could kind of be like lucifer how we see that he was created perfect in all his ways but yet he still entertains sin so i don’t know how to explain that that’s the mystery of iniquity but that could possibly be a factor into why adam

Agreed to sin yes yes and uh it was strictly we might say a matter of faith see uh adam and eve had never ever seen anything die and so all they had to go on is what god said now here is a totally opposite saying totally opposite talk

Who are they going to believe as all that that was the whole test who do i believe this serpent or god they chose to believe god i mean uh satan you know yes anyone else all right thank you very much jesus had no advantage over us

But the way he was different from us was that he um spiritual nature was without a taint would you consider that being what enabled him not to sin no because once again uh it was not as we read christ did not rely on his power to as god

Resists sin that would have been no contest whatsoever so the way in which christ maintained his purity was the same way in which you and i must attain purity by total dependence on god praise god amen anyone else okay would you like to do so all right let us pray

Kind heaven father we thank you the lord for this time that we have spent in your place of holiness and your presence and may the things having to follow that we have learned be rooted and grounded within us we will hold on to your unchanging hand and not fall that’s right

For this is the only way heavenly father that we will not fall amen is to be consecrated unto your will that’s right and hold on to your hand your leading your guiding through your holy spirit and may we be overcomers thank you

#Nature #Jesus #DivineHuman #Nature #Christ

What are the proofs for the resurrection of Jesus?



– The word proofs is a loaded term in philosophy and in many cases people will push back at us for using that in the Christian faith, but the Bible itself, Acts 1:3 says that with many convincing proofs Jesus appeared to his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection.

In fact, the apostles were faced with this accusation that they had actually stolen the body of Jesus. And so as early as the New Testament all the way to this present day there have been attacks on the notion that Jesus was raised from the dead. And through the next almost 2000 years,

If we were to come up to today, there are a series of what we call counter theories to the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus through the centuries has responded to these counter theories such as, well his body was stolen, or maybe he wasn’t really dead

When he was put in the tomb, and so on, have been responded to powerfully such that I’m convinced today the very best answer is, in fact, rationally, that Jesus was historically raised from the dead. Now some of the actual historical evidences that have been discussed through the centuries

Are that Jesus was really dead. That is to say, there is no question that he just swooned when he was put into the tomb, to Romans knew how to kill you when they crucified you. Two, the fact is that his tomb was empty. The early Christians even lost where the actual tomb is,

We don’t know for sure even where you’re taken as a tourist today is actually where he was buried. Why? Because they didn’t care about it, he was raised from the dead. His enemies would have presented his body were he actually still in the tomb. Three, his disciples believed that they were seeing Jesus

After his resurrection, that is in a post mortem raised state, so much so that they were willing to die for this, this is remarkable. And in fact, they changed, four, their belief system. These early believers were Jewish, and so they began to worship on the first day of the week,

That is Sunday instead of the Sabbath day. They celebrated the Lord’s supper, which is a proclamation of his death, and burial, and resurrection until he comes, and baptism, which was a symbol of buried with him in the likeness of his death and raised in the likeness of his resurrection.

Interestingly enough, the various theories like swoon, or conspiracy, or they lost the body, and so on, only a handful of these are still used today by skeptics and the irony is they fail miserably simply to deal with what now the majority of New Testament scholars, even those

Who are not Christians, agree on those historical facts that I presented. The bottom line is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus is intensely personal. The reason is simply that if he’s not raised from the dead then Christianity is silly, there’s no forgiveness for our sins,

My having lived my life believing that he’s raised from the dead was a waste, I could’ve lived it any other of a number of ways. But if he is raised from the dead, then in fact, the hundreds of millions of people who trusted in him through the centuries

Really do have hope for eternal life. I remember 43 years ago when I was not a Christian, 20 year old pagan, hated Christianity, yet woke up on Easter morning with a bad hangover as a hippy with long hair, God has a sense of humor, it seems, I had been told recently by Christians

That on Easter, that was the day they celebrated Jesus having been raised from the dead. And the fundamental question of life that I was facing, like is there a God and could I be forgiven for the evil that I actually was fully caught up in and was convinced I was guilty of,

Could I be forgiven? I didn’t connect all those dots, but something bothered me that morning, this is the day Jesus rose from the dead. And that’s what makes Christianity so very special, the love of God displayed in the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus for us, has been demonstrated

To be true, and that’s what gives me hope, and it should you, too, if you belong to him. – [Narrator] Thanks for watching. You can submit your questions by email, Twitter, or in the comments section below. And don’t forget to subscribe to find out the answer to next week’s question.

#proofs #resurrection #Jesus